South East Queensland regional water assessment

Water security is important to improving the reliability of food and vegetation in South East Queensland (SEQ).

With a variable climate, growing demand for water, and increasing pressure on existing water resources, we are undertaking the SEQ agriculture regional water assessment (RWA) to explore ways to strengthen water availability and reliability for agriculture across the region.

This assessment will look specifically into the water security options for the agricultural sector in South East Queensland with the aim of improving reliability of food supply.

The assessment is a Queensland Government commitment as part of the SEQ City Deal, a partnership by the Australian Government, Queensland Government and Council of Mayors for South East Queensland.

Status

The SEQ agriculture RWA summary report is in development.

Consultation

Stakeholders consultation included:

  • stakeholder advisory group (SAG)
  • technical advisory group (TAG)
  • working and advisory groups
  • First Nations advisory groups
  • water users.

Assessment area

View a map of the SEQ RWA area (PDF, 693KB).

Area summary

Local government areas

Brisbane City Council, Gold Coast City Council, Ipswich City Council, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Logan City Council, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Redlands City Council, Scenic Rim Council, Somerset Regional Council, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Toowoomba Regional Council.

Ideas to support water security and economic growth

  • Enhancing water trading: Reviewing the support services and tools available to make water trading more flexible, transparent and accessible for farmers.
  • Improving water scheme efficiencies: Exploring infrastructure and technology upgrades to improve the delivery of water to farmers within existing irrigation schemes.
  • Unlocking more water at Maroon Dam: Exploring increased water for agriculture from Maroon Dam in the Scenic Rim.
  • Exploring groundwater on the Sunshine Coast: Investigating opportunities to enhance the sustainable use of groundwater.
  • Increasing recycled water use for agriculture: Investigating how purified recycled water can be safely and effectively used to supplement water supply to farmers.